The Spiritual Life of the Elderly
Across much of Asia, the aged were usually venerated and treated with much respect. Depending on the religious tradition, the elderly were also expected to devote much time to spiritual matters, as with Hindus in India. This particular extract pertains to Tamil Indians in South India in the 1950s.
As his sons grow into the age of grahasta or married adulthood, an old man is customarily expected to retire gradually from the world, to curb his enjoyment of living, and to turn his thoughts still further towards spiritual life. This is ideally the period of sannyasa.....
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